Rotary engine



NO MOael.) sheets-sheet 1. A. BEARD. ROTARY ENGINE. No. 478,271.APatented July 5, 1892.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. BEARD. ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 478,271. Patented July 5, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.`

ANDREV BEARD, OF VVOODLAWN, ALABAMA.

- 'RoTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent NO. 478,271, dated July .5,1892.

U Application filed January 25,1892. Serial No. 419,114. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I', ANDREW BEARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Woodlawn, in thel county of Jefferson and State of- Alabama,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RotaryEngines; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary engines, in which apiston head or heads are secured to a driving-shaft and revolve withinan annular chamber, said piston head or heads being provided withpistons, which reciprocate in grooves formed in the heads, and the steamacting against the pistons causes the heads to rotate.

The object of my invention is to procure an eflicient and cheap engineof the above-namedconstruction which Will be balanced in its runningparts. The steam being admitted between annular walls on the inside ofthe headpresses equally on all sides and does not force thehead andshaft to one side of. the bearing, as in the case of engines whicht-akethe steam on the outside of the head.

It is also an object of my invention to make an engine that can beeasily reversed, which is accomplished by a simple appliance in thesteam-chest, which is worked byl a convenient hand-lever that admitssteam to the cylinder, cuts steam oft, and reverses the movement of theengine by diiferent movements of the lever. l attain these objects bythe construction and arrangement of the parts fully described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is avertical sectional View of the engine with one side of the casing andpart of the central -partition removed to show the relative position ofthe heads and other internal appliances. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectionalView through. the line a b. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of one of theheads. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View of one of the heads. Fig. 5 isan enlarged sectional plan view of the steam chest and valves. Fig. 6 isan enlarged side view of one of the pistons, and Fig. 7 av plan View ofthe same.

strips.

Similarletters referto similar parts throughout the several views. A isthe base or bed of the engine to secure lit to its foundation,consisting of two metal ycastings boltedsecurely to B, the centralpartition extending through the engine, dividingA it into two parts: Inthis central partition are the steam-'passages Y Y from the steamchestand the steam-ports H H, admitting the steam to the heads C C at eachside of the partition. On both sides of the partition, secured by screwsbetween the ports, are abutments or steam-stops Q Q, that fit in theannular spaces 1of the head C C and are made steam-tight by the metallicpacking-strips R R, set out by springs inserted in recesses underneaththe In the central partition B are metallic packing-rings I I to make asteam-joint to the .annular walls of the heads C C. They are fitted inannular grooves and set out by springs `inserted in recesses underneaththem. tcentral partition B is the passage Z for oil, to

In the be fitted with any suitable oil-cup or lubricator, and by whichthe inner space of the heads vcan be kept filled with oil,.all insideworking heads are the annular walls O O, andsome distance inside aresecond annular walls O O', leaving a space P P between them, in whichthe steam is admitted through the ports H H. Each head is fitted withtwo pistons T T, working in grooves in the heads C C. These pistons arereciprocated by cams formed on their inner ends working against rollersXX on the ends of a shaft or studsW W, secured in the central partitionB. Onthe lower half of the revolution of the heads the cams hold thepistons out against the outer Walls of the heads O O. The pistons inthis position form a stop against which the steam acts to rotate theheads. On the upper half of the revolution the cams Withdraw the pistonsT T from too the outer walls of the heads to let the exhauststeam escapeand to allow the pistons to pass the steam-abutments Q Q. Secured to thecen tral partition by this arrangement, one of the pistons is alwaysagainst the `outer wall of the head, and the steam acting on itcontinues the engine in rotation.

The outer casings D D are recessed to inclose the heads and providedwith flanges on their outer edges and are secured together by boltingthem through the central partition B. The casings do not touch the headsat any part thereof and are provided with hubs or extensions on theouter sides for boxes or bearings for the shaft to work in, and on theouter ends are stuffing-boxes or glands E E. throughthe bearings in thecasings and the central partition and revolves freely, and securediirmly to the shaft are the heads C C, the revolving of the heads by thesteamtcomm unieating a similar motion to the shaft. Secured on the upperend of the central partition is the steam-chest andvalves to control thestarting, stopping, and reversing of the engine. The steam enters at Ginto cylinder J and through the cross-passage N to the vertical passageY, leading to the engine.` Passing through the engine, it returnsthrough the passage Y' to the cross-passage N', to the cylinder J', andto the exhaust-opening I. The admission of steam, starting and stopping,and reversing of the engine are performed by the workin g of theplungers K K, working in cylinder J .II and operated by rods L L and thehand-lever M. From the cylinder J J are cross-passages N N, in whichthevertical passages Y Y to the engine are located. Then the plnngers K Kare at opposite ends ofthe cylinder there is only one of the passages tothe engine open` to the inletsteam and the other one opens to theexhaust. Then the plungers are in the center of the cylinders, steam iscut olf, and when the plunger-s are reversed it reverses the engine.

The operation of the engine is as follows: If the parts are in theposition shown inthe drawings, the steam will be admitted by theinletopening G to the cylinder J and crosspassage N will enter thevertical passage Y and through the ports I-l l'I to the annularsteam-space P P in the heads C C, and, press ing against the pistons TT, will cause the head and shaft to rotate when the pistons assume ahorizontal position. The one in advance draws away from the outer wallof the The main drivingshaft F passes head and allows the steam behindit to escape through the ports I-I H and steampassage Y and thecross-passage N to the cylinder J and through the exhaust-opening I.versing the hand-lever to run the engine in the opposite direction theoperation is the same, the inlet passages and ports becoming the exhaustand the exhaust passages and ports the inlet.

I am aware that prior to my invention rotary engines have beenconstructedwith heads and reciprocating pistons, and I do not claim suchinvention, broadly; but

IVhat I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isf l. In arotary engine, the combination of the base with a central partition andheads on both sides, having casings on the outside recessed tovinclosethe headsand secured together by bolts passing through flanges on theirouter edges and the central partition, said heads having pistons withcam-loops on their inner ends working over rollers on the By re- 6o endsof shafts or studs secured in the central 8o partition to reciprocatethe said pistons in grooves in the heads, substantially as described.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination of the base with a centralpartition and heads `on both sides having casings on the outside`recessed to inclose the heads and secured: to gether by bolts passingthrough 'flanges on their outer edges and the central partition, andheads having pistons with ca1n1oops on their inner ends working overrollers on the ends of shafts or studs secured in the central partitionto reciprocate the said` pistons in grooves in the heads and having asteam chest with reversing -lever and valves secured to the said centralpartition, with two steam-passages extending downwardly from thesteam-chest through the central partition and opening on both sides andhaving abutments secured to both sides of the central partition betweenthe ports, the said abutments filling the annular spaces in thepiston-heads, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix iny signature in presence of two witnesses.

his ANDREW X BEARD.

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